The Dauntless Choice
by bandgeek1699
Summary: Bree has to make a choice. Will she go to Dauntless, with her fiancee, Reza, or stay in Amity with her best friend and sort-of lover, Finn? Just when she thinks things are figured out, Dauntless leaders begin a secret genocide of the Divergent. If she doesn't escape, she is next.
1. Chapter 1

The Dauntless Choice

The safety of the apple orchard will give me cover, though everyone in Amity should be sound asleep. The soft breeze rustles through the branches. He should be here. The silhouette of a teenage boy is visible in the distance. I run to him. I land in his arms, and he holds me tight.

"You did come," I whisper into his black jacket.

"Of course I did," he answers. "I couldn't leave my beloved."

I smile, and his cool lips collide with mine.

"I love you," I say quietly.

"Did you forget what I came here for, little one?" He asks, teasing me with his superior age.

"No," my smile fades to a solemn blank stare. "The test is tomorrow, Reza. I'm afraid."

"There's nothing to be afraid of," he says, "the test doesn't have to determine your choice. Please," his voice pleads, "come with me."

"I know but..." I drift off and turn away from him and toward the empty orchard where I harvest apples every year.

"But what?" He asks, following my gaze.

"What if I'm not cut out for Dauntless?" I ask. "What if I'm meant for Erudite, or Candor, or..." I pause. "To stay here."

He strokes my cheek with his long, pale fingers. His ivory skin almost glows in the moonlight, providing a sharp contrast with the dark sky and his black hair. "You are cut out for Dauntless," he smiles, "you're the bravest girl I know."

"Yeah, right," I push his hand away.

"No one else would do this, would come out here in the middle of the night to be with me."

"Yes," I say, planting a firm kiss on his cheek. "Because no other girl loves you."

•••

The knock of a heavy wooden door fills my small bedroom.

"Breanna!" I hear my mother's melodious voice call. "Get up! You definitely don't want to be late today."

I moan and slide out from under the covers, slipping into a pair of bright yellow slippers. I stand up and stretch, looking out the window of the sturdy log cabin, my home-for now. I walk over to my dresser and pull out a pair of bright red skinny jeans, and then shed my pajama bottoms and put the jeans on. I pair them with a plain yellow v-neck tee shirt, the color combination a tradition in our faction. I then pair the outfit with a pair of red slip-on shoes, made of twill. Pulling my black hair into a ponytail, I walk out into the houses kitchen, which smells of cinnamon and apple pie. My mother stands at the stove, stirring a pot of apple sauce.

Apples, apples, apples. They're all my faction seems to eat. My brother already sits at the table, reading a book and crunching an apple, the juice almost spilling on the pages. He shrieks and pulls the book away before it is defaced. I swear the kid is Erudite. I ruffle his hair and then take my seat beside him. My mother hands me a plate of fresh bacon and eggs, homemade like most of the food around here. That's one thing I'll give my faction, we're great cooks.

After I eat breakfast, I grab my leather shoulder bag and drape it over myself. Filled with several books, pencils, and apples, it weighs down my shoulder, which is something I'm accustomed to, thanks to years of harvest. I hurry out the door, my friend, Finn, is waiting in his old blue pickup truck to take us to school.

"Goodbye, love!" My mom waves a rag at me from the doorway and blows me a kiss.

I climb into the passenger side of Finn's truck, lucky for us he persuaded the leaders of Amity to let him fix it up and use it for school transportation. He's supposed to shuttle several kids in the back, but usually it's just us.

He smiles at me as I climb in, his amber hair and tan skin glowing in the sunlight. "Morning, sunshine," his very existence is the polar opposite of Reza's, and though I've pledged myself to my Dauntless lover, the way Finn smiles gets to me.

"Morning," I beam. He puts the key in the ignition, and the ancient engine purrs, although 'purr' is not the word, it's more like growl.

"Buckle up," he says, and then takes off down the dirt road leading to the gates at Amity's entrance, or exit, depending on which side of it you come from.

As we move along, I decide to ask him something that's been pawing at the back of my mind for weeks. "Finn," I say. "What faction do you think you'll choose?"

His smile slowly fades, in a way that wouldn't be noticeable if I hadn't been studying his complexion for years.

"Breanna," he pauses. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about," he pauses again. "Our future."

Excuse me, _our_ future?

"Bree," he says.

Bree. I like the sound of that.

"I've decided to go to Dauntless."

The words ring in my ears. Dauntless. Where I will go. Where Finn will go. Where Reza, my betrothed, is. That is where I will go. And that is where I will have to make my choice.

•••

The crowd of busy teenagers swarm around me, all of them pushing and shoving like we were taught not to in Amity. I hear someone shout my name, and turn to see Sydney, my crazy Erudite best friend pushing toward me. As usual, her brown hair is disheveled and her glasses are on crooked. A thick book is shoved under her armpit, and her messenger bag is heavily loaded with books full of information and texts her faction requires.

She heaves her bag onto the cafeteria table I sit at. I set my book on music-my passion-next to her stuff.

"You look tired," I say as she plops onto the seat next to me.

She rubs her eyes under her glasses. "I am. You see, for a girl of my age and weight, you need at least eight hours of sleep a night. Based on my calculations, I only got six last night. I was up studying Pythagorean's Theorem. You see, it shows up in nature and-"

"Syd," I cut her off.

"Was I rambling again?" She asks, oblivious to her tendency to go on.

"Yes," I smile, "Erudite."

She playfully shoves me and I tilt to the other side of my seat and laugh. We both chuckle, but then the bell rings.

"Crap!" She says, something we're not allowed to say in Amity. 'Curse' words are not loving or peaceful. She grabs up her bag and stands up. "I guess I'll see you later?" She asks.

"Yeah, before testing," I force a smile, and then pick up my own bag, and head off the science.

•••

One class at a time, they herd us into the cafeteria, where we will wait for our turn. People in black, white, and grey surround me, and I try to find the small spot of blue.

"Breanna!" I hear her unmistakable shout, and then see her hand raise up above the crowd. Her long nails are painted a bright blue, and her fingers wrap around my arm and pull me through the crowd. I almost crash into the table she pulls me to. She sits down and tosses her bag onto the table, then grabs me by shoulders and shakes me.

"It's today! Like, right now!" She squeals.

"Yes Sydney," I laugh.

A flash of a red t-shirt and before I know it Finn is next to me. "Hey sunshine," his hazel eyes flash green.

"Hey Finn," I smile.

"Hey there," Sydney purrs with a hint of playful seductiveness in her voice.

"Back off," I tease, "he's with me." We all laugh, and Finn's hand rests gently on my lower back.

I swear things just can't be easy for once.

"Do you have any idea where you'll go, Breanna?" Sydney asks, and it dawns on me that it's something I haven't discussed with my best friend outside of my faction.

"Well," I pause.

_To Dauntless, with Reza, you idiot._

"No, I don't know," I lie. "I guess it more or less depends on my aptitude."

I catch Finn's eyes as he gives me a look of remorse.

"What about you, Syd?" I ask her.

"I don't know," she says. "I'm pretty cut out for Erudite, but there's something missing there. I want adventure."

Finn takes his hand away from my back. He leans close to my ear, so close, that his breath tickles my skin. "Or do you know, sunshine?"

•••


	2. Chapter 2

The test is short, yet so complicated, I cannot describe it. As soon as it is over, my vision comes back in foggily, and I see Lily, the Candor woman who hooked me up to the machine, busily pulling wires away and putting them into several drawers. Her blonde hair is pulled back into a tight bun, and her lips form a straight line. She is the epitome of the Candor professional look. Her white blouse and black pencil skirt never seem to be out of place, and she's well put together and doesn't seem to be frazzled at all. Not like me. I sit up in my chair, and she looks over at me finally.

"Hello, Breanna," she says in her professional voice. "Have fun?"

"Not particularly," I say.

"I could tell," the Candor learn to study emotion and reaction. "I suppose you want your results?"

"Please," I say.

She wheels her rolly-chair close to the dentist-style one I sit in. "Breanna," her icy blue eyes scan my face. "This is something you can't tell anyone, ever."

I nod.

"The aptitude test is meant to determine the one faction you belong in, the key word here being one. The test was never wired for someone to be suited for two factions, but there's a glitch, so to speak. Some people are what they call Divergent, which means their test results show more than one faction is suitable. This is very dangerous, and you must keep it a secret. Your results were for both Dauntless and Amity. You are Divergent, Breanna. Go home, be careful, and don't tell anyone about this."

I nod, and head out the door, back into the cafeteria, where Finn and Sydney both sit talking.

When he sees me, Finn stands and walks over, gently resting his hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?" He asks. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Just a little dizzy, that's all," I force a smile. "I'm supposed to head home, just in case."

"Heh, me too," Finn says. "I'll take you home, come on." I wave to Sydney and then Finn and I head out to his truck. The smell of the seats' old, cracked leather clears my mind a bit. We head down the road silent.

"You're Divergent too, aren't you?" Finn breaks the silence.

I look over at him. "What?!"

"Come on, Bree," he says, "I'm not stupid. Neither of us are sick, and we're way too alike to not both be Divergent. If I am, you are."

"Are you Divergent?" I ask him.

"What do you think?" He asks sarcastically.

"What aptitudes do you have?"

"Dauntless and Candor," he pauses for a second. "What about you?"

"Amity and Dauntless."

Silence rings through the truck again.

"Come with me," Finn says finally.

"What?" I ask, taken aback.

"Come with me to Dauntless, Bree. We could both make it. We would be together."

Instead of an answer, I gaze out the window at the passing landscape.

"Or have you already made that promise to vamp boy?" He takes his eyes off me and watches the road. "Well, when Dauntless initiation is over, you can tell Reza I'll stay away from his girl." He pulls the truck up to my house. "This is your stop, right sunshine? I guess I can't call you that, as you'll soon be the vampire's bride."

"Shut it, Finn," I say. I grab his face and lay a firm, short kiss on his lips. When I pull away, his expression is a mixture of surprise and pleasure. He smiles while trying to catch his breath.

"See you tomorrow, sunshine," I emphasize my nickname at the end, teasing him, and then hop out of the truck.

•••

I pace the floor of my Amity home, the smell of the night's fire burning in the stove wafting through my door. I grip the window sill tightly, coping with the pain of decisions burning in my chest. Outside, the sky is black and starless, the full moon shining in its private glory. Finally, I hear a small tap on my window, and I can breath again. I rush outside my room and I got he kitchen, where my mother reads a book.

"I'm going for a walk," I say as I pull on my red jacket.

"At this hour?" She asks, raising one eyebrow.

"I need to clear my mind." No, I need Reza to clear it for me.

She questions me no more, knowing that there's a lot running through my head. My mother was Abnegation-born, and left because it was never something she could do. She was too peaceful and loving for their way of life. My brown leather boots almost sink into the moist ground. The orchards are silent and still at night, the cold air whips around my shoulders.

"Reza!" I whisper when I see his form tucked away behind a thick apple tree. I run to him and we collide, wrapping our arms around one another. Despite the cold, he wears a black v-neck t-shirt, and a colorful tattoo peeks out from under his right sleeve. He lays a warm kiss on my cheek.

"Hello, beautiful," he says, smiling. His pale skin once again glows in the moonlight, and the way his eyes sparkle rival even the stars' shine. "How did the test go?"

"Fine," I say as we sit and lean against an apple tree. "I am Dauntless, and it's what I'll choose."

"Are you sure?" He arches one eyebrow as he often does in a playful manner, but his lips form a straight, strict line.

"Of course," I pause and look over at him. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd stay here with Finn," he pauses. "Optimistic piece of-"

"Reza!" I cut him off. "You have changed since Dauntless," I can't suppress the smile that creeps onto my face. "But that's also something I should tell you," I say as my smile fades and I settle back against the tree. "Finn is going to Dauntless."

Let me tell you why Reza's reaction should not be good. Ever since the three of us have known each other, Finn and Reza have been in mortal combat. Whether it be some reason I don't know, and probably never will, or because they're plain polar opposites, they hate each other. While Finn worked his butt off in the fields, supporting his family because of his father's death, Reza lounged around, carefree, and with me.

"Finn? Dauntless?!" Reza scoffs. "He'll be gone by the first morning."

"He's pretty strong, Reza," I defend my best friend. "All those years working in the orchards paid off."

"See?" Reza says. "You think so too. I'm sorry I'm no match for Mr. Sunshine."

"No, you know it's not like that," I let my fingers lightly caress his cheek. His eyes meet with mine, dark in the moonlight. He puts his hand up to my cheek and kisses me. His hand moves to my back, pulling me closer to him.

"That's my Dauntless girl," he smiles, "that's my Bree."

•••

The morning comes fast, too fast. My mother rushes me to get up and get dressed for the choosing ceremony. I put on a dress my mother bought me for the occasion. The top has sleeves that only cover the tops of my shoulders, is red, and buttons up the center. The yellow skirt is flow-y and is shorter in the front than in the back. It all cinches in just at my natural waist, and a pair it with a pair of yellow flats. My mother pulls my hair up into a tight bun, and tucks a yellow rose into it.

She must know I'm leaving.

"Mother?" I ask.

"Hmm?" She asks without looking up from my black hair.

"You know, don't you?"

"Breanna, it is what is meant to be. Even I can see you don't belong here. Go to Dauntless, I will support you."

I turn and face my mother. "Thank you," I say in a whisper, almost silent. I hug her as tight as I can, and for the first time I rethink choosing Dauntless. "Promise me you'll come to visiting day, and even come see me afterwards," I say as I pull out of the hug to look at her. Tears sting in the back of my eyes, but I won't cry, I can't.

She nods, her eyes red and swelling with tears. "I promise."

I take one last good look at her. Chocolate brown hair, small frame and features that aren't plain, but in the wrong context to be beautiful.

"I will see you at the ceremony," she says. "Why don't you go ahead and walk with Finn?"

I nod and walk out the door. Out of my room, my house, my home for the last time. Surprisingly, when I get outside Finn is already waiting.

"Hello, sunshine," he says, but for calling me by my nickname, he isn't very cheery. I don't blame him.

"Finn," I say somewhat exasperatedly, and without warning crash into his arms. He tightens his embrace around me.

"It's okay," he whispers into my hair. "I'm here."

I bury my face in his yellow polo shirt. I wait for a moment, just soaking up his warmth and knowing he'll be with me the whole time.

"Come on," he says. "You're okay. Lets go." He puts his arm under mine to support some of my weight. We hop into his truck, only to drive to the city limits, because no motor vehicles are allowed in the city durning Choosing Day. We buckle in, and Finn's hand reaches over and our fingers intertwine.

"You'll be okay," he says again. "I'll be with you all the way, alright?"

I nod, but don't let go of his hand. My life seems to swirl around in my head, memories and the present mixing together in my mind.

As Finn lights the ignition, last year's Choosing Day flashes through my head.

_"You're leaving, for real," I said to Reza a few hours before the ceremony began._

_"Yes," he took my hands in his own and drew me close. "It's where I belong. You can join me next year." He pulled me even closer, our faces inches apart._

_"Promise me you won't find another girl?" I said as we gazed into each other's eyes._

_"Promise me you won't try anything with Finn?" His lips pressed into a smile just before he drew me into a kiss._

My memory fades back, and it's no longer Reza's hand I'm holding, but Finn's. The exact person I promised to stay away from.

I look over at him, watching as his green/hazel eyes scan the road. His tight fitting yellow shirt bulges at his biceps. He looks at me, noticing my staring.

"What?" He asks with a chuckle.

"Nothing," I turn and look out the window again, and then down to my hand, to the ring Reza gave me before he left. It's ruby setting isn't only a reminder of where I came from, but also my birthstone. I think of Dauntless, the group of rowdy, punk-y people that are the daredevils of our society. I look over at Finn, and then back to the ring. I will soon be one of them.

We soon reach the city's limits, and Finn shuts the car off. He looks at me.

"I'm scared, Finn. If I'm scared, I shouldn't be Dauntless. Maybe I should-" I start.

"Hey," Finn cuts me off, his fingertips gently grazing my jaw. "You are Dauntless, you're worthy of that title. You will be fine."

I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.

"I got you something," Finn says as he reaches into his pocket.

"Finn, you didn't have to-"

"Ah, here it is!" He proclaims as he pulls out a small, velvet box. He pops the lid open to reveal a necklace with a sun pendant hanging from it, silver with black accents on the chain.

"Oh, Finn," I gasp, "thank you."

"Please," he says with some sort of needy look behind his eyes. "Allow me."

I nod, and he reaches behind my neck to latch the chain. As he pulls his hand back, his fingers trace my jawbone and push the hair out of my face.

"I must ask one more thing," he says as he looks into my eyes. "Let me kiss you, one last time?" He leans into my lips, gently grazing them. "Thank you," he says, "I couldn't let you go just yet."

•••

Dim, blue lights hang from the ceiling in the humongous room the Choosing Ceremony is held in. The seats slope downward towards the stage, and at the center there are four giant bowls to signify each faction. Dirt for Amity, glass for Candor, water for Abnegation and burning coals for Dauntless. They will call out names, in alphabetical order, and each person will walk to the stage, take a knife, and slit their hand. They let their blood flow into whatever bowl they want, and that will be their new faction. We are separated by faction, but I catch Sydney's eye and we exchange glances.

Soon, everyone is lined up and the ceremony begins. Although my last name comes early, thankfully there are a lot of "A" names, and I have a few minutes to think. I try to keep my mind straight, but my thoughts swirl again, like I'm in the middle of a whirlpool. I close my eyes and think of simpler times.

Finn's fingers intertwine with mine, giving me a little more support.

"Breanna Boggess."

My name makes my eyes fly open. I stand still, unable to move.

"It's alright, sunshine," Finn whispers in my ear. "Now go, my Dauntless butterfly."

I wobbly make my way down the stairs, feeling the pressure of everyone's eyes on me. Reza's, Sydney's, Finn's, along with entire population of all five factions. As soon as I get to the stage, the tall man who has been calling names hands me a knife.

"Choose wisely," he says, and I make my way to the center of the bowls.

I look down at my hand, the pale, unscathed flesh, and then drag the blade across it, gritting my teeth as the serrated teeth cut through my skin. I hold my hand out, letting the blood pool in my palm. I look to the Amity bowl, then the Dauntless. This is my last chance.

And then my blood splashes on the coals.

I make my way up to where the Dauntless group stands. Already, there is one scrawny looking kid from Candor that has chosen to become a Dauntless. I'm still in a daze, the events of the past couple of minutes still not getting through to me. They continue to call names, but soon all of them begin to blur together, just like my thoughts, the voices around me, everything. One name does stand out, though.

"Finn Falconer," the man's deep voice booms, almost like a voice from above, a peculiar angel telling you what you should do next.

In the midst of all my thoughts, I almost miss Finn walking down to the stage. He sets back his shoulders and carries himself proudly, the next one brave enough to choose Dauntless. He takes the knife from the "angel" and heads for the center of the bowls, just like I did. He slits his hand with less thought, everything about him screaming: "I am Dauntless, I am brave." He curls his hand into a fist over the coals, trapping the blood for his one last chance at going anywhere. As I know he's about to choose Dauntless, to stay with me no matter what, his hand shifts over to the Candor bowl, and he opens his hand, letting the blood smear on the glass. The impact hits me like a ton of bricks to the chest.

Somehow, when he looks up, our eyes manage to lock through all the people in the room. "I'm sorry," he mouths.

And then, Finn Falconer, the boy who loves me even though I can never return the love, leaves me.

And there's nothing I can ever do about it.

•••


	3. Chapter 3

I stand, shocked for the rest of the ceremony, and even when Sydney joins me in the Dauntless group I'm not back to normal.

"I thought Finn was coming to Dauntless," Sydney whispers as the ceremony continues.

"So did I," I say, my emotions gone. My chest feels empty, like a hole's been shot through my heart.

"Are you okay?" Sydney asks, looking at me with concern.

"Yeah," I say, still in a daze as the black and white colors of the Candor begin to blur together. "I'm fine."

Soon, the ceremony is over. Some Dauntless at the front of the group begin to bark out orders. The group starts to move slowly at first, but soon at an all out sprint. I know where we'll go, to the trains. Only the Dauntless ride them, but I am one of them now. Sydney wheezes behind me.

"Come on, Syd!" I yell behind me. Running replaces the hollow feeling in my chest with a burning one. The trains speed by about fifty yards away. The first Dauntless are just now reaching it, grabbing onto it like ants hopping into a piece of food. We reach it, and I grab onto a handle bar, running along with it until a girl reaches her tattooed arm out to me. I grab it and she pulls me in the cart. I nod a thanks to her, and then spin around to look for Sydney. She's struggling, but I grab her pale arm and pull her inside.

"Thanks," she says in between breaths.

I turn back to the Dauntless girl who pulled me onto the train. "Thank you," I say to her.

"No problem," she smiles. "I'm Val."

"I'm Bree," I smile, "I'm from Amity."

She looks at my red and yellow dress. "I know," she laughs. "Welcome to Dauntless. Wait," she looks me over again. "Are you the girl Reza told me about?"

My muscles tense at the very fact she knows Reza. "He told you about me?"

She must recognize the concern in my eyes. "Yeah, he talks about you all the time. He must really love you."

I blush red and can't keep down the smile that creeps up on me.

"I'll see you around, Bree," Val smiles as she walks toward the group of Dauntless.

"Who's Reza?" Sydney asks in my ear.

"Later," I push her away.

•••

We arrive at the Dauntless compound, a tall building covered in windows. We jump off the train, and fare better than when we jumped on the train. A tall, lanky boy only a few years older than us stands outside the building. He is dressed in a black jacket and black jeans, and his light brown hair is cut short.

He walks to the group of us. "Attention," he yells over the noise of our idle chatter. "Alright, my name is Max, and I'll be the instructor for our transfer initiates this year. My counterpart," he gestures toward another young man walking toward us, "Reza, will be the instructor for the initiates from Dauntless."

Reza.

I catch Sydney looking at Max. "You like him, huh?" I laugh.

"Wha?" She shakes herself out of her daze. "Oh, um..." She stutters. "I just...knew him...Erudite..."

I laugh as Max leads us away. We walk up countless flights of stairs until we're on top of the building. A massive hole lays in the ceiling.

"Alright, jump," Max says.

"What?!" A boy with red hair asks. He wears the outfit of a Candor, and his hair is slicked back against his head.

"I said, jump," Max grows irritated.

By some pure accident, as I inch closer to see the hole, I trip over someone's foot, falling head first down into the chasm.

I scream, flipping over mid-air so I don't land head-first. I continue to fall into darkness until something stops me, catching me before I fall any farther. I feel a strong hand grab ahold of my arm and pull me out of the net.

"What's your name, kid?" A man with light gray hair, the one who pulled me out of the net, asks.

"Uh, Bree," I say shakily.

"Everyone, first jumper, Bree!" He lifts up my arm and we cross through a cave-like doorway to a crowd of cheering Dauntless. Reza walks across the stage we stand on and gently holds my elbow.

"Good job, Bree," he smiles.

I hear Sydney scream and then the sound of her being caught by the net. One by one, the rest of the new initiates pile onto the net. Max leads us off the stage, then down a bunch of hallways and staircases until I'm completely disoriented. We come up to a room with white cinderblock walls and steel bunk beds lining either side. At the end there's a bathroom with a side for boys and girls.

"You will be staying here, okay?" Max says. "Initiation is two weeks. But they're two weeks in hell, only twelve of you, from both groups of initiates, will make it, and it's damn near impossible."

Great. I can already feel my muscles aching.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a heads up, the final part of this chapter will be a flashback to explore why Bree chose Reza over Finn and just give some insight on her old life.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Divergent. It would sure be cool if I did, though. **

Max gives us the rest of the night free, though we have to be back in the dorms by eight o'clock. Sydney says that she's got somewhere to show me, and drags me away from the rest of the initiates who seem to group together.

"Come on!" We climb further and further up the Pit, and soon we're at the top floor with Syd panting. She runs to a small shop with the words:

"TOM'S TATTS"

Written in bold, red gothic letters.

"Oh dear," I say. "Sydney, no, no, NO!"

She drags me into the parlor, which is quiet except for the buzz of a big, burly man giving a skinny little kid a tattoo. I recognize the kid getting inked as Alec, the skinny kid from Candor who was first to transfer at the ceremony.

"Excuse me," Sydney says to the large man. "Is Tom here?"

"Tom?" I whisper.

"Yeah, just a minute," the man says with a gravely voice. He walks into a back room, and Sydney walks over to some catalogues filled with different tattoo options.

Heck, might as well.

I walk over to Alec and look down at the inside of his forearm.

"Candor?" I ask him, eyeing the tattoo-in-progress of the Candor scale symbol.

"Yeah," he sighs. "Amity?"

"Yeah," I pause. "I'm Bree, by the way," I say.

"First jumper, huh?" He asks. "Must be pretty brave."

Ironically, I tripped over his foot and down the hole.

"I'm Alec," he says. "It's nice to meet you, Bree."

The tattoo guy walks back in and goes to work on Alec's arm. I walk back over to Sydney, who is talking to a tall man, who's face is lined with piercings. His sandy brown hair is gelled up into a mohawk and his clothes are all black, his pants hanging with chains.

"Aye Syd," he says with a thick Australian accent. "This the little girlie you're tellin' me about?"

"Yep!" She pipes up.

Sometimes she is so cheery I think she belongs in Amity.

"Tom, this is Bree," she gestures to me. "Bree, Tom."

Tom looks me up and down, and I subconsciously cross my arms over my chest.

"Oh, modest now, are we?" Tom teases.

I look over at Syd and roll my eyes. "I'll let you finish up here," I say. "I need some rest."

"Alright Bree," Sydney smiles.

"I'll catch ya round, mate!" Tom calls out as I walk out of the shop.

I sit on my small bed in the initiate dorm. After I left Syd at the tattoo parlor, Val found me and dragged me around shopping. Several bags of new, black clothes lay on the floor next to me. I lean back and rest my head on the lumpy pillow. Closing my eyes, I remember my home. The Choosing Ceremony seems so far away, but it was only this morning…

_ "Come on, Bree! Ya gotta keep up!" Reza yells as he teasingly runs ahead of me._

_ "Rez—" I pant._

_He stops in front of me and puts his hands on his knees. "Little physical exercise too hard for ya, Breanna?" He playfully raises one eyebrow. _

_ I lunge at him, and we both fall to the ground under the tall grass. The late afternoon sun casts a dandelion light over everything, and his eyes twinkle as we sit up and look into each other's eyes. He slowly puts his hand on my cheek, cradling my face in his bony fingers. "From the first time I met you," his chest heaves in and out as he tries to catch his breath, still. "I knew that someday I would fall for you." He slowly moves toward me, and before I know it I'm moving back and then our lips meet._

_ My first kiss._

_ As he draws back, he smiles. His skin is tan with a summery glow, and he seems happy here. His blue eyes perfectly balance his dark hair, and, for the first time, a boy completely sweeps me off my feet. _

_ "I love you," he says._

_ "That's a rash thing to say," I reply, in a way that probably isn't too common. "Considering we're thirteen, and all."_

_ "Well, Miss Practical," he says jokingly. "I'll tell you what. When we're both sixteen, and legal members of the same faction, then can we be in love?"_

_ "Yes," I smile. "Then we can be as in love as two people can be." _

_ "Good," he brushes the hair out of my face, and we lace our fingers together to watch the sunset._

_ "Hey Finn," I bump his hip with mine. "Wanna go for a walk after school?" _

_ As friends, of course as friends._

_ "I would love to," he says, and just as he gets my hopes up, "but I've got work later. I'm sorry, but bills don't pay themselves, Bree."_

_ Ever since his father was killed in an accident with some farming machinery, he's had to work to support his mother and three younger brothers. _

_ "No, it's fine," I say, trying not to look disappointed, "maybe another time?"_

_ "That sounds great," he smiles. _

_ I walk down the school hallway to my next class._

_ That night, I go for a walk with Reza, instead._

**Sorry the chapter is short, but I just wanted to get the reason why Bree was with Reza across. I feel I have succeeded! Please review, your opinion helps!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hope you guys like the next chapter! I know, it's more gushy romance, but I swear next chapter will be training! ALSO: if you don't know who's playing Will in the Divergent movie, LOOK HIM UP. You're welcome. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent. *darnit***

The next day, after training, Sydney and I walk out of the gym. Suddenly, five long fingers wrap around my forearm. Reza runs up to me.

"Hey Bree," he says.

Sydney looks at him suspiciously, and it occurs to me that I've never introduced them. "Oh!" I say. "Sydney, this is Reza. He's my-"

"Cousin," Reza cuts me off. "We're cousins."

I look at him and ask "what?" Through eye contact.

He gives me a look that says "trust me," and so I do. With how much alike we look, we really could pass for cousins. Siblings, even.

"Well, cousin," Reza says. "I believe we had dinner plans? Some catching up to do?"

"Uh, yeah," I say, and look at Syd. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah," she says. "I'll catch up with Alec and Val, I'll be fine." She heads out of the doors a head of us, and finally, we can talk and no one else will care to listen in.

"Cousins?" I ask with a laugh.

"Look, they're gonna be suspicious if they figure out we're together. Lay low, alright?" He looks me up and down, eyeing my new "Dauntless" outfit. "And might I say, you look pretty sweet as a Dauntless chick."

I slap him in the arm. "Reza!" I scold.

"Sorry," he says. "I forgot you're not used to the way we do things around here," he looks at me and smirks. "You look gorgeous, darling." He says. "Was that better?"

I shoot him a look. "Come on, lets get to dinner, cuz."

After dinner in the cafeteria, we walk back up to Reza's apartment. As he fumbles with the key, I look around the hallway.

"Are you allowed to have me up here?" I ask.

"They don't care, as long as we don't..." he stops what he was going to say and pauses. "...do...anything..." He unlocks the door and we step inside. The apartment is decent sized, with white cinderblock walls. The foot of his bed is at the edge of the door frame, and above the head of it, his initials are scrawled in red spray paint. Straight across from the door, there's a bathroom, and to the right, a small kitchen.

"Make yourself at home," he says as he walks to the bathroom. I sit down on his bed and trace his initials with my fingers. "You know," his voice comes from unexpectedly close to my ear as he leans into me, "I was going to add yours when you move in." His shirt is unbuttoned all the way, reviewing the tattoos that pepper his body. I look at him and smile, and for the first time in a few long days, our lips meet. It's a gentle, soft kiss, a 'welcome back' one. He brushes my cheek with his fingers.

"You know," he says. "You have no clue how long I've been waiting to kiss you somewhere other than an apple orchard." He kisses me again, this time more sure of himself. Our mouths move together, in perfect rhythm as if we've practiced this a million times.

I draw away from him, and gaze into his eyes. His bright, beautiful eyes. He is so much different from when we were in Amity. Then, his skin was golden and he smelled of summer. He was happy and glowing, and I was, too. Now, he is pale. His skin is cold, and his eyes are dark. Now that I'm in the compound, he doesn't seem like the Reza I used to know.

He brushes the hair out of my face and moves me closer so I'm straddling him. He puts both his hands on my cheeks and kisses me firmly, this time his tongue darting in my mouth. He slips his hand under the hem of my shirt.

"Reza stop," I push away from him.

"What?" He asks. "Did I do something wrong?" He knits his eyebrows together.

"No, it's just..." I pause. "I'm not even a Dauntless member yet, we should wait to do...stuff."

"I'm sorry. I'm too forceful. I've been in Dauntless too long without you." He says, looking down.

"No," I say. "Definitely not. Reza, I know that someday...someday we'll get married and settle down. But I need to focus on initiation, so maybe we should only see each other once a week."

"I think..." His smiles disappears for a second, and I fear I've just lost him. "...that's a great idea." He beams, and I stand up from his bed.

"I've gotta get back to the dorm now," I say. "People might wonder."

He blows me a sweet kiss and I walk back to the compound alone.


	6. Chapter 6

I hear a scream. Not a normal one, a shrill one of a small, helpless child. My eyes fly open.

"Jax!" I yell. I know my brother's voice anywhere. All around me it is dark, and I am in a timeless and spaceless void. I cannot see myself, and I don't even know if I exist. The wheels in my head start to turn. I can stop whatever is hurting him. I run toward the sound of his voice, as he continues to sob and scream for help. Finally, I come to a single, white door. Every instinct inside me screams OPEN. So I do. I enter a room where my little brother is tied to a chair, wriggling in his bindings.

"Sissy!" He yelps. He never called me 'Breanna' or, 'Bree.' Always 'sissy.'

"Jax!" I yell. I run over to him and try to untie the ropes that hold him. They won't budge. A knife. I need a knife. As if by command, I feel the lump of one in my back pocket. "Here," I say to my baby brother as I cut the cords. I help him stand up and he brushes himself off. We turn to see a man, a devilish looking man with thin lips pressed into an evil smile. His grey eyes pierce through you, shooting daggers into your soul.

"Why hello, Bree," he says in a sly way.

"How do you know my name?!" I demand, pushing Jax behind me.

"It's easy," he pauses. "Someone you care for told me everything." He pulls out a gun and aims it at Jax's head. Jax whimpers.

"It's alright, little bro," I say. "None of it is real." I know he-I mean this simulation that is not my little brother-cannot compute what I am saying. But I can. I'm Divergent. "You can't hurt anything," I say to the man. "You're not real."

He steps back in disbelief, and then fires a bullet into my stomach. I laugh as I fall to the ground, and slowly, he and Jax disappear.

My eyelids flutter open and I see Max looking down on me. My first simulation is over.

"That was..." Max begins. "...interesting." He flips through a clipboard he's holding. "Excuse me a minute, I'll be right back." He leaves out the door to my right.

I grip the edges of the arm rests on the dentist chair I sit in. _I let him know I was Divergent._

The door opens again, and Reza walks in before Max. He stands on the left side of me, and Max on the right. They both look down at me. Reza leans close to me, looking into my eyes.

"You're...Divergent?" He asks.

I nod slightly, and he backs up and looks at Max. Max runs his fingers through his hair nervously, as if perplexed by my 'condition.'

"What do we do?" Max asks Reza.

"There isn't much to do. You're Divergent, you made it fine," they seem to forget I'm right here.

"Yes, but extreme Divergence?" Max asks. "This isn't what I expected when I signed up to become initiate trainer!"

"Hey!" Reza says. "Leave her alone! It's not her fault! I'll look after her."

"Um, excuse me?" I ask. "Extreme Divergence? Care to explain what's going on, guys?"

Max turns to me. "Extreme Divergence is when you have two aptitudes for factions that are the opposite. Like Amity and Dauntless."

"Erudite and Abnegation," Reza continues. "It's rare, but I've seen it before."

"So, what'll you do with me?" I sink into my chair and lessen my grip on the arm rests.

"This is an absolute secret, Bree," Max says. "If anyone find out...they'll kill you."

I look up at Reza with frightened eyes, and, unable to hold my helpless gaze, he turns away from me. "Go," he says slowly and quietly. "Get out of here!" He whips back around with wild eyes, his tone rising. "I don't need you!"

"Reza!" I gasp.

Max grabs my arm and pulls me out of the simulation room.

"Get back to training. Say nothing about this or the simulation." He looks at me and rests his hand on my shoulder. "Got it?"

I nod.

"Good," he says, and I begin to walk away. "Oh, and Bree!" He calls after me. "Give Reza some time, he's just...shocked."

I nod again, and walk back to the dorm.

That night, Max comes rapping on the door at around eight o'clock.

"Get up!" He shouts. I do my best to avoid eye contact with him. "We've got places to be!"

It's already been a week in training, and most of us know how to fight and how to shoot pretty well. I stand from my bed where I had been sitting.

"Where are we going?" Kieran, another transfer from Amity, calls out. Although Kieran and I were never close, his tan skin and bright green eyes remind me of home.

"Just a field trip, meet in front of the train in half an hour, dressed for combat," Max says as he exits our room.

My muscles freeze at the word 'combat.' Not because I'm afraid, but because it's something I've never done.

Sydney, or 'Syd,' as she chose her new name to be, holds up a blanket so I can change in private. When I'm finished, I do the same for her.

Alec walks over to us when we're finished, Kieran trailing him. "We'd better get a move on," Alec says, slicking back his dark red hair.

"Right," I say, trying not to look like I'm afraid. Our little group marches out to the train tracks, where already the Dauntless born initiates, Max, and Reza all stand waiting.

"Almost late there," Max calls out to us. Reza remains silent, and as soon as I catch his eyes they drop to the ground.

"There are still more coming," I say.

"If they're late they'll be left behind," Reza says, turning toward the tracks. It is then that I notice a man I hadn't seen before standing by Reza. He looked to be in his early twenties, with cropped golden brown hair and blue eyes that sparkle. He looks familiar...no. He wasn't. He couldn't be. It was just an illusion. He had my mother's eyes, that's all.

Soon, the rest of the initiates show up and the train roars down the tracks. Kieran and Alec reach the train before me, and help Syd and me in. Max directs us to sit on the floor, and then introduces the familiar-looking man as Valor, a young Dauntless leader who wanted to supervise whatever we're doing. I knew I didn't know him. I've never even heard his name.

Max begins to lecture us on what we are going to do. Some game of capture the flag at the old abandoned board-walk, some sort of Dauntless tradition. Reza and Valor are picked as team captains, and they begin to pick.

If it weren't for the fallout earlier, I would be Reza's first pick, but now he chooses some big Dauntless-born named Ryker. It's Valor's turn.

"Umm..." He starts. "Bree." His voice is smooth and crisp, and while he's attractive, there's something about him I don't trust. "I want Bree."

I knit my eyebrows in confusion as I exchange glances with Sydney, but walk over to his side. They continue to pick, and at the end, Syd and Alec are on Reza's team and Kieran and I on Valor's. Along with us there's Kara; a brutish transfer from Erudite, Val, Kannon; a skinny, black haired Dauntless born, and a few others whose names I don't know.

As the rest of the group chats, Valor pulls me to the side. "I feel like I know you from somewhere," he says. The way his eyes gleam, his smooth voice, all of it. I know him, somehow. I feel a sharp pain pang through my chest.

_How do I know this kid?_

"What faction did you transfer from?" He asks.

"Uh, Amity," I stutter.

"Oh!" He says in sudden realization. "I knew your family once. I didn't recognize you, Breanna."

Again, the way he says my full name sends a dagger through my heart, somehow.

"Oh," I say. "Well, it's nice to know I have someone from back home with me." I say, trying to be polite, but its honestly quite uncomfortable; silently suffering as every inch of this man's existence shoots pain through me.

"Faction before blood, Bree," he says. "Always remember that." He turns and looks out the door, and for a second, the way the evening sun lights up his skin makes me feel like a child in the Amity orchards again. I know he's somehow more than an acquaintance.

We arrive at the boardwalk several minutes later, and its decided that Max's group will get off first to hide their flag. We'll get off in ten minutes, a little ways farther down the walk. I sit looking out the door at the gleaming ocean, the late sun casting its last golden rays and making the water shine. Kieran walks over and sits beside me.

"I used to see you around the orchards," he says all of a sudden. "I used to watch as you ran through the fields, your dark hair shining in the sun. I used to think: 'Wow. That girl is beautiful. Whoever gets her is so lucky.' But now I know I don't have a chance against the debonair of Reza; the rich kid from back home who left and made himself a life. But I do still love you, Bree. You're like a sister to me."

I turn to him and smile. "Thank you," I say. "I used to see you around school, but never really thought of ever talking to you. I'm kinda shy, if you haven't noticed."

He kisses me on the cheek, and then I know he is, and always will be, like the older brother I never had.

Funny thing is, when you really, _really_ want to forget someone, you do.

I never really realized I had forgotten someone. Someone important.

We get back to Dauntless headquarters late, I'm not sure at what time because I'm too lazy to check. The game of capture the flag was pretty straightforward; except for not being able to look Valor in the eye again because memories of home and my childhood come flooding in every time I do. Our team won, with Kieran leading us in the victory.

Our ranks are still posted on the wall in the compound, and somehow, I've managed to come in third out of the transfer initiates. Only the top eleven will make it, and that's out of both transfers and Dauntless-born. Kieran is on top, with his athletic structure and bravery. Sydney is fourth, Alec fifth. As for the others, well, I could care less about them. I only pray that my friends and I get through.

That night, when the lights are turned out and Max is leaving, I see him stop Syd in the doorway, kissing her. I smile. Then he leaves, closing the door. I fall to sleep easily.


	7. Chapter 7

_"Breanna," a soft, familiar voice comes. "Breanna, come one. I'm not going to be late to school because of you."_

_ My eyes flutter open. I am in my Amity home, the log cabin that offers so much warmth. "Isaac," I whine. "It's so early…" _

_ "Oh get up, little butterfly." _

_ I stand up, and my older brother leaves me to change._

_ My older brother. He's something I try not to think about. _

_ I look into my mirror. I am only ten years old. My face is still round, and my cheek bones are not as sharp. I change into a red t-shirt and yellow capris. I walk out into the kitchen, where my mother, my young, beautiful mother, hums as she cooks. I hurriedly eat and then run out the door. Isaac and his friend, Lucas, wait outside. _

_ "Hey little butterfly," Isaac calls out to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. He is sixteen, with light golden brown hair. His muscles stand out through his shirt, and all the girls stare at him. He is handsome. Lucas says that he must go to find his girlfriend, and Isaac and I walk to school alone. _

_ "Keep up, little butterfly," he calls as I fall behind him. _

_ I jog to catch up, and he keeps walking so fast I have to keep jogging. "The test is today, isn't it?" I ask him. _

_ "Yes," he says without looking at me. _

_ "You won't leave us, will you, Isaac?" I ask in my then innocent voice. _

_ "It depends on my results," he says. _

_ "Oh please don't leave us!" I beg. "You're my only brother!" I say, because at the time, Jax had not been born yet._

_ "Someday you will be in the same position as I am, butterfly," he says as we trudge on._

_ For the next day leading up to the Choosing Ceremony, Isaac was never the same again. He became distant from me and the family. Then I remember watching my older brother, my role model, walk to the stage on Choosing Day and then seeing as he cut himself and let his blood drip over the hot coals of Dauntless._

I have a brother. Not Jax; an older brother. Isaac. The important person I tried to forget. He goes by Valor these days.

I awake when I find Alec shaking me, hushing me. Sydney and Kieran peer over his shoulders, watching me with worried eyes.

"What?" I ask, but when I touch my cheek I find it plastered in tears. The early morning is dark around them. I sit up. "Nightmare," I say plainly.

"You gonna be okay?" Kieran asks me.

I nod and wipe my eyes. "It was…stuff from simulations." I say, straight up lying to my best friends. "Go back to bed," I say. "Sleep why you can."

Syd and Alec nod, and walk back to bed, but Kieran stays at my side.

"What was it?" He sits down on the edge of my bed and brushes a piece of sweat drenched hair out of my face. It's been but a week and he already knows me too well.

"I have a brother," I say.

"Yeah, Jax?" Kieran says. "I remember him."

"No," I say. "No, an older brother; Isaac. He was six years older than me. He left for Dauntless, and afterwards, when Jax was born, I made it my goal to forget about him. I did."

"And?" He asks.

"I think—" I break "I think that Valor is Isaac."

"Bree," Kieran pauses. "That— that makes no sense."

"They look exactly alike; he has my mother's sparkling eyes, that smooth, sweet voice, and sunny brown hair. It has to be him, Kier."

"Come here," he opens his arms and holds me in a brotherly embrace. I press my face into his black t-shirt, and soon it's damp with my tears. "It's alright," he says softly. "Where ever Isaac is, we'll find him once initiation is over."

"No," I say. I pull away from him and look him in the eyes. "I never wanted to speak to Isaac again, that's why I forgot about him. I didn't even think about him when I chose Dauntless."

"Then I promise," Kieran says as he looks directly at me, "I won't ever let him near you, alright?"

I nod.

"Good," he pats my shoulder and stands up. "Now get some rest, Bree."

The next day, we all walk to the training center together. We are going to work on firing at moving targets today. Just as I walk into the gym, Max calls me out.

"Valor wants to see you, in his office," he says.

_Oh no. Valor. Isaac. _

"It's in the glass building. Do you know how to get there?" Max asks.

Before I can answer, Reza pops out of nowhere.

"No, she doesn't," he says. "I'll take her."

I look at him questioningly, but he doesn't return my eye contact.

"Alright," Max says. "Just be back as soon as you can."

"Come on," Reza says curtly, leading me out of the room. As soon as we're out in the empty halls, he explodes into suspicious questions. "Valor and you got something going on? He's kind of old, isn't he?"

"No!" I say. "He knew my family." I lie again. To Reza.

"Just be careful. I don't trust faction leaders." Reza says.

"Why are you so concerned? You're the one who told me to leave you alone yesterday."

"Yeah well," he pauses. "I was upset. I don't want you getting hurt." After that, it's quiet for a while.

I haven't realized how far we've walked, but we're already in the building. He stops in front of a black door.

"This is it," he says. "I'll wait outside. I know you're not good with directions." He grins and I halfheartedly scowl at him.

I open the door, which leads into a minimalist style office. At the far end, Valor sits at a black desk, scribbling furiously on some papers.

"Bree," he says simply.

There's a black couch with an exposed silver frame lining the window and two chairs of the same fashion facing his desk.

"Sit down," he says.

I follow his directions and sit in one of the chairs.

He looks at me and rests his face in his hands. "I don't know how to tell you this," he says.

"Isaac!" The yelp bursts out of me, and when it's out I'm not even aware that I'm that I said it. It's a childish scream, one that I would have used when I was a kid.

He is taken aback and his expression is of pure shock. He looks down and leans back in his chair.

"No one's called me that in six years," he says. "Gosh it's been a long time."

"You left us," I say, suddenly pouring out emotions that have been hidden and forgotten inside of me for six years. "You were my only brother and you left me. You were my role model!"

"I could never stay there, butterfly!" The last word, my nickname, bursts out of him in a habit. Once he realizes what he's said, tears pool in the back of his eyes. "It was never my place. You should know. You left, too."

"We have a brother," a say, changing the subject non-purposely.

"What?" This catches his attention, and he looks up at me.

"Jax," I say. "He's six. He was born not too long after you left."

"You left him, too," Isaac says.

"I—" I say, but I don't have an excuse for leaving my baby brother, just like Isaac had no excuse for leaving me.

"What's he like?" Isaac asks.

"A lot like you," I say. "Tall, athletic, light brown hair," I pause for a second. "_Erudite."_

"Erudite?" Isaac asks.

"The child will transfer there, I swear," I say.

"Shame," he says. "You're second in your class."

"Yeah, so?" I say.

"I was first," he says. "If you want a government position, you have to be first. I can arrange it—"

"No!" I say. "I won't let you knock Kieran out of his hard earned position. In a week he's more of a brother to me than you've ever were in ten years."

That was hitting below the belt.

The look of hurt on his face is extraordinarily painful. "Fine, then. Get out of my office, and don't ever speak to me."

"Fine, _Isaac,"_ I say, lacing every word to be as painful as possible. I hate him. I hate him for leaving me.

_"Valor!" _He screams, as if his name will give the virtue. "GET OUT!"

"You're not my brother!" I yell as I walk out the door, slamming it behind me. Reza stands there, bewildered. I collapse into his arms and sob.


	8. Chapter 8

Reza wraps an arm around me and practically drags me back to his apartment as I sob. He sets me down on his bed and brings me a box of tissues.

"Now what's wrong?" He asks, gently stroking my cheek.

I wipe under my eyes, I probably look like a softy- crying like a baby because I got into a fight with my brother I'd forgotten for more than half a decade. I can't tell him Valor is my brother, I can't stand to.

"Valor-" I start. "He told me...my father passed away this morning. He only knew because Amity leaders knew he was close with my family." I bury my face in his jacket, inhaling the scent of his sharp, delicious cologne.

"Oh, Bree," he gasps, rubbing my back. He pushes me away so he can look into my eyes and brushes a piece of hair out of my face. "Let me go tell Max you've had a family emergency, and are in no condition to fight. I'll take the rest of the day off, and we'll get through it together."

I nod and sniffle. "Please," I say weakly.

He gently tears away from me and straightens his jacket. "I'll be back, okay? You can lay down, make yourself at home."

I nod again and he leaves. I crawl under the blankets and curl up, the pillows smelling of Reza's cologne. I fall asleep, but am wakened a few minutes when I hear frantic voices outside the door.

"She's in no condition-!" I hear Reza's muffled voice.

I sit up and push the covers off of me. The door flies open, and Kieran rushes through the door before Reza can stop him, and soon Syd and Alec walk in, too.

"Bree!" Kieran gasps, he runs over to me. "I'm so sorry, I heard."

Syd and Alec sit down on the bed too.

"I'll be okay," I say. Kieran wraps an arm around me, and I can see Reza's muscles tense from across the room. "Just let me take a break."

Kieran nods. "Will you be okay, with him?" He whispers.

I crack a sad smile. "Yes, I've known him for years. He's like a brother to me."

"Alright," he smiles sadly and kisses my cheek, and this time Reza walks over and intercepts us.

"She needs to be alone," he says.

Syd hugs me and Alec offers condolences, all for the father I've not lost yet. I wish I could tell them, but it'd only complicate things.

After they leave, Reza sits down on the bed and turns on his TV. He buries his face in my hair, and his inaudible whispers tickle my skin.

"It'll be alright," he said. "We can get a pass and go see his funeral so you can say goodbye."

"Reza-" I say, but cut myself off. I have to tell him, sooner or later. "My father is alive," I say.

"What?!" He draws back from me.

"It's not that, it's... It's Valor."

"What did he do to you?! I'll beat his-!"

"He's my brother!" I burst out, which I've done a lot of today.

He practically falls off the bed. "He's _WHAT_?!"

"My brother!" I stand up and walk across the room. "He's my brother..."

Reza walks over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Please, explain." He says in a soft tone.

"He's six years older than I," I start. "And when he left, and after Jax was born, I told myself it was time to forget about Isaac and move on. He was my role model, but I hated him for leaving us."

"Isaac?"

"Valor's real name is Isaac," I say. "At least, it was before he left."

"Isaac," Reza says. "All along, he's baddest guy in Dauntless, and his name is Isaac. _Isaac_." He looks back at me. "Why are you so upset?"

"I've been upset for six years, and emotions that've been locked inside for that long. I yelled at him, for leaving us. I told him he wasn't my brother, and he told me to stay away from him. I _loved_ him, Reza. He was my _brother_."

"Hey now," he says gently. "It's alright. You can stay away from him. Alright?"

I nod. "Alright."

I spend the rest of the day, and night, in Reza's apartment. He brings me the delicious chocolate Dauntless cake from the dining hall, and word that Kieran's been asking of me.

It is around eleven o'clock, and he takes my plate and sets it back in the kitchen. He walks back in and brushes the hair out of my eyes.

"Please tell me you'll never let anyone hurt you without telling me ever again?" He asks.

"I'm sorry," I say.

"No, I am," he says. He kisses me gently, a condolence kiss. His arms wrap around my back, pressing his hands in the small of my back. He moves down to my neck, his lips brushing over a bruise I've acquired over the past week in fighting. I hold his face in my hands, kissing him back with growing firmness. He pecks me on the forehead.

"Bree, I love you. So much. Don't you ever forget that." He says as we press our foreheads together.

"I won't," I press my hand to his chest, and soon, we fall asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning, I walk in late during training. Max is lecturing, again, yet I catch Syd gazing at him dreamily. I don't see how she's so interested. I walk over and sit down by her, with the entire initiate class' eyes trained on me.

"Care to join us, Bree?" Max asks mockingly, but when Reza shoots him a look, he shuts his mouth. "We'll be going through our last simulation before the fear landscape test," he goes on. "While each of you is taken back, the others will wait here and fight. Understood?" The class nods yes, and Max walks over and grabs a black clipboard hanging from the wall. "Bree Boggess," he calls.

I stand up and walk over to him, and I feel Kieran's burning, questioning eyes on my back.

_"What did you do last night, Bree?" _I can practically hear his thoughts. _"When is your father's funeral? Or are you lying to the older brother you never had?"_

_"I have an older brother, Kieran!"_ I want to scream. _"I wish I could collapse and tell you everything, but I can't. I can't because I'm a coward."_

Max leads me out of the training center, and into the dark, silent hallways. Our shoes click on the cement floors.

"When will you be going to see your father?" Max asks in a way that seems short of sincere.

"I won't be attending his funeral," I say. "He was part of my old life," I say with a stone face.

Max is silenced by this, hopefully impressed by my Dauntless outlook. We reach the room soon enough, and I sit down in the chair while Max gets the serum and syringe together.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

"Does it make a difference?" I reply curtly.

He nods and pushes the thin needle beneath my skin. It doesn't hurt anymore. It's when he pushes in the plunger, and I can feel my veins being inflated with the orange serum, it hurts. I swallow the lump in my throat and close my eyes. Everything goes black for a few seconds.

I wake up under bright lights, so bright that I can't open my eyes. I hear quiet chatter around me.

"Is she awake, doctor?" A soft female voice says.

"I think so, I'm glad the operation went as smoothly as it did," someone says. Even without opening my eyes, I can tell it is the voice of a ruggedly handsome doctor.

The lights dim and I open my eyes. "Wha-? What?" I ask.

"The de-Divergence operation is over," the nurse smiles. She has dirty blonde hair in a pixie cut, and is short and skinny.

"De-Divergence?" I ask.

"Yes," the handsome doctor pulls back his mask to reveal a chiseled face with a bit of a scruffy beard. "You are no longer Divergent. All is well; you can go back to your home in Dauntless."

"Where is Reza?" I ask him.

The nurse looks at the ground, and takes a few steps away.

The doctor can't hold my eye contact. "A normal life for a Divergent one…" he murmurs.

"NO!" I scream. "He didn't! He can't! _Where is he?!" _

The doctor and nurse turn away, and I am alone in the dark. In the distance, a glass case is illuminated. Reza stands inside, beating on it with his fists. I sprint toward him, and when I get there he looks at me happily, yet with sadness in his eyes. A green gas starts to disperse from the ceiling of the enclosure, and he starts to choke.

"No!" I scream again. I have to save him. I press my palm to the glass. _Break, _I think. _Shatter._

The glass explodes into thousands of tiny shards, spraying out and setting him free. He falls into my arms, gasping for air.

"Bree," he says. "You saved me."

But before another word leaves his lips, he falls over, dead.

I hate simulations.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey people! So I know, yeah, the initiation part was really short and is now coming to a close, but this is supposed to be more about what happens after initiation. Hope you enjoy!**

The day has come. The day I must go through my fear landscape in front of Dauntless leaders. In front of Isaac. I slip into skinny jeans and a loose black t shirt as Sydney holds a blanket up for me.

"You alright, Bree?" She asks. "You look live you've seen a ghost."

"Fine, Syd," I say gruffly as I shove my heavy black boots on. I run my finger across the tattoo of a feather I got on my wrist. It is supposed to remind me that someday I'll be a free bird, but now it seems like I'll be trapped inside Dauntless headquarters for the rest of my life.

"Should we wait for Alec and Kieran?" She asks.

"They'll come," I say, leading the way out of the initiate dorm. We walk up to the roof of the building, where the landscape simulator is set up.

_I have nothing to worry about, right? _I ask myself. _I'm Divergent. I was bred to resist this stuff. I'll be fine. _But even my inner intuition doesn't seem to sway the feeling of a pit in my stomach. I'm glad Syd didn't ask to stop at the dining hall for breakfast, because I feel like I'd throw up at the mere sight of food. We join the rest of the initiates on a set of metal bleachers overlooking the setup. A few feet in front of us, some of the selected leaders sit in folding chairs. Isaac is among them, and he will have to give me the shot of serum.

As soon as we sit down, I start to shift and fidget nervously.

"Oh, will you stop?" Syd asks. "You're ranked second, if anyone has anything to worry about, it's me."

Soon, the Dauntless born, who were in the middle of their turns when Syd and I arrived, are finished. It's our turn, now. I'll be second, after Alec. Speak of the devil, he and Kieran walk over to us and sit down.

"Would it kill you to wait?" Alec asks, patting down his hair that's slicked back with gel. The boy pays too much attention to it.

"Apparently Bree couldn't," Syd says. "She insisted that you guys could make it on your own."

I notice that, of all people, Kieran seems pale and worried. He doesn't have anything to care about, he's first place. Maybe he concerned about me; I would be, chances are I'm going to throw up.

Isaac walks to the front of the group of us. "We're going to start now!" He says, and we all fall silent. "Alec Attkinson?"

Alec rises, his pallor suddenly a whole lot lighter than normal. He swallows a lump in his throat and walks up to Isaac.

Everything seems to blur, swirling around my non-existent self. I just watch the world go by, and my head feels like it's filled with water. Minutes stretch into hours, but then fly by like seconds.

"Bree Boggess!" I hear someone call.

_Hey. That's my name._

"Go!" Syd pushes me up, and I stumble to where Isaac stands. The hateful memories that radiate off him are enough to help me regain composure. I stand up straight and swallow the bile that's pushing up my throat.

"Well, my little sister," Isaac sneers. "Never thought you'd make it this far, to be honest."

It's when he raises his arm to get the needle I see a butterfly tattoo peek out from under his sleeve. It's a masculine one, not like a little girl might have, but I'm sure I'm the only one who will ever understand that tattoo besides him.

Before he pushes the needle into my neck, he leans close to my ear. "Are you ready, butterfly?"

For an instant, everything is quiet, dark, and peaceful. Peace used to be my ultimate goal in life, and now, it feels like all that I'll ever achieve is destruction. I open my eyes, and the scent of cinnamon and apples wafts through the air.

"Breanna," a familiar voice calls.

_Mother._

"Mother!" I yell. Running from my room in the old log cabin, I burst into the kitchen. It is empty. "Mom?" I ask, walking tentatively to my parents' room. I carefully push the door open, to find it empty. "Jax?" I ask. "Anyone?"

I am alone.

I close my eyes, and when I open them I am in a small, dark room. _Have I moved on? I didn't get through my last fear…_ But that's when it hits me that this is just an extension of loneliness, to show me that I really am alone, that there is no outside world.

_I've gotta get through this, pull it together, Bree. _I tell myself. I sit down in the corner of the room, closing my eyes. I think of happy thoughts, I think of mother and father and Jax and Finn. Finn. I snap my eyes open at the thought of him to find I've moved on. I lay in a wooden box, maybe a coffin, and I hear a scraping noise above me.

_They're burying me._

"No! No, I'm not dead!" I call out, but I can feel as more pressure from the weight of the dirt being shoveled on.

I can feel the wood above me begin to break, splintering down in my face. "No! _NO!_" I scream shrilly, pushing on the lid with my fists. I remember I have to calm down.

_Breath, _I think. _I have to breathe. _Despite the dirt beginning to spill over my body, I manage to take deep breaths, and then it's over again.

This time, I am on a ledge. Wind sweeps up my body, so strong it almost carries me away.

Heights. My fear of open heights. I am on the Hub.

I swallow the lump in my throat and close my eyes as tight as I can.

"Okay, Bree," I say shakily. "Calm down, calm down." I clench my fists, trying to think of something besides the impending doom in front of me. _Breath in, breath out. _Finally, I don't feel the wind rushing over me, and I can relax. For the moment.

When I wake, I feel Alec's arms around me, holding me up. I'm back in the bleachers by the Fear Simulator.

"Hey," he does his best to give me a shaky smile.

"Hey," I sit up. "Where's Syd?"

"Over there, waiting," he gestures to the other set of bleachers a couple of yards away. "We had to be separated by whether or not we had finished. Kieran's going now."

"How many fears did you have?" I ask.

"Eleven," he replies, which is a pretty typical amount. "You?"

I think back to all the encounters I had just been through. "Eight," I say.

"Eight?" Alec says in disbelief. "Not bad," he nods his head.

My head throbs. "I need some rest," I say. "Are the dorms open?"

"They should be," he says. "I'll come and get you when the simulations are over, alright?"

I nod. "Thanks, Alec," I say, and he helps me stand up shakily.

I walk toward the exit from the roof, but Reza intercepts me.

"Going somewhere?" He arches an eyebrow.

"I'm tired," I say. "I'm going back to the dorm."

"Not a good idea," he says. "Especially if you want rest. They're gonna be really rowdy in there. Go back to my apartment," he hands me a key. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he says in a deep tone, close to my ear.

I walk out off the roof, and to his apartment. As soon as I get in, I change into one of his oversized t shirts and crash onto the bed, falling asleep quickly.

A few minutes there are several loud raps on the door. I jump out of bed. "Who-?" I say to myself, going to open the door. Kieran stands outside.

"Bree!" He says. He looks at me and his eyes scan my body. I then remember I'm wearing only a t shirt.

"Kieran," my cheeks go blood red with embarrassment. "One sec," I say, closing the door on him. I run over to the bedside and quickly pull on my jeans, and a black tank top and blazer. Quickly putting on black high-heeled pumps and pulling my hair back into a tight ponytail, I run back to the door.

"Bree!" He still inspects my body, even though I'm fully clothed. "You've gotta come! Now!" He grabs my arm and pulls me out of the apartment, and I have to hurry to lock the door. We dash through the mad crowds, everyone partying, as usual on initiation day.

Finally, he pulls me to the dorm and shoves me toward the crowd of initiates grouped around the chalkboard.

KIERAN KIERESON

BREE BOGGESS

I don't see who else made the list, and frankly, I don't care. Because I am second.

And I am Dauntless.

**Yeah, that chapter was short. I will now begin part two of… THE EPIC TRILOGY OF THE DAUNTLESS CHOICE. Haha. I'm a horrible writer.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I NEEEEEEDDD FEEDBACK!**


	10. Chapter 10

**PART TWO: TACTIC **

"Next," the woman says curtly.

I step up to the table.

"Name?" She says in a tone that shows she's way past her breaking point with agitation.

"Bree Boggess," I say in the sweetest tone.

She eyes me. "Amity transfers," she mutters under her breath. "What will it be?" She slides a list of careers toward me.

I look over them quickly. "Leader?" I ask, surprised that Kieran didn't take that job.

"Leader," she says. "I'll put your name down."

"No—" I start.

"Next!" She cuts me off and I have to move out of the way. It can't be that bad, can it?

_***TWO WEEKS LATER***_

I twist the key inside the lock and push the door open. "Here it is," I say, twirling around with my arms out. Reza sets the cardboard box of my stuff down on the desk on the other side of the room.

He walks over to me and takes my hands in his own, pulling us close together and nuzzling noses.

"Well, it feels pretty special to be dating the newest Dauntless leader," he says with a giant smile. "But how does it feel to be one?"

"Wonderful!" I breathe, breaking away from him and jumping onto the black couch. My office is much like Isaac's, only with more decorations for a feminine touch. That is, as feminine as Dauntless gets; black vines painted on the walls and a few pieces of minimalist artwork. Reza collapses on the couch beside me, looking into my eyes.

"I never thought this day would come, or, that is, get here soon enough," he says. He kisses me in the most passionate way he has since I started initiation.

"What's that?" I ask.

"The day," he says, pushing our foreheads together, "when I could be with you with no secrets and no hiding. When I could brag about you to all of my friends; not for your body, but because I finally found the girl I knew I wanted to marry from the start." He kisses me again, and then the intercom on my desk phone rings.

"Crap," I say. "Gimme a second." I walk over and press the 'talk' button. "Yeah?" I ask.

"Miss Boggess, there's someone here to see you," the voice of Shea, the secretary for my office sector, comes over.

"Who?" I ask, exchanging confused glances with Reza.

"He wants it to be a surprise," she says.

"Alright," I give in. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

I turn the intercom's microphone off and walk to the couch. "I'll be back in a few," I say to Reza as I grab my leather jacket from the chair.

"But-" he starts. "We-"

"I know," I say as I stand in the doorway. "I promise I'll make it up to you, alright? Duty calls."

I walk down the quiet halls; it's always silent in this part of the building. Only the Dauntless leaders, their guests, and the occasional guard walk through these halls. I arrive at Shea's desk, where I see a man in a Candor suit with his back turned to me. Must have some sort of business, but what would he want with someone who's only one day on the job?

"Shea?" I ask.

The man turns around to face me. He's got light hair, a bit of scruff on his face, and hazel/green eyes that shine even in these dark halls.

"Finnic Falconer," I say in disbelief and as if I was out of breath.

"Breanna Boggess," he says back. Before I know what's happening, I'm in his arms, holding him tight.

"Finn," I say again, as tears of joy roll down my cheeks. "I never thought I'd see you again."

He pats me on the back. "Well, after I signed up to be a Candor leader, I checked the records to see what you had made. I never forgot you during initiation, and I had to find out. When I found out you had become a leader, I knew I had to come see you."

I look up into his eyes, his bright, gorgeous smile, and plant a firm kiss on his scruffy cheek. "Let me show you my office," I say, and we walk back with arms around each other's' waists. I open the door and we walk in. Reza is gone, he must've gone back to the apartment.

Finn sits down on the couch.

"Can I get you anything?" I ask. "Water?"

"No," he smiles. "But you can come here and talk to me!"

I don't hesitate to sit down close beside him.

"I thought about you every day," he says as he brushes a piece of hair out of my face. "When they gave me truth serum, I let out the fact that I was still in love with a girl training to become a Dauntless member."

He seems so comfortable telling me he's in love with me. I realize it's the Candor showing in him, but I can't tell if I like it or not.

"How was...training?" I ask.

"It was good. I came out first, even on top of the Candor-born initiates. How was Dauntless training? I hear they're brutal."

"It was hard," I say, choosing my words carefully, because suddenly I feel I shouldn't share the secrets of initiation with him. "I came second, under my friend, Kieran. He didn't want the position, so I wasn't going to let it slip by."

"And Sydney?" He asks, I had forgotten the two even knew each other, let alone were friends.

"She came in around sixth overall. She works at the tattoo parlor."

"Could..." He pauses. "Could I ask you to dinner?" He asks. "I don't know if there's any rule about non-Dauntless members being in the dining hall, but it not..."

"Of course," I smile. "I've got some pull around here, you know. Just let me make one phone call, alright?"

"Okay," he smiles. "I'll give you a moment," he says, stepping out of the office.

I hurry over to my phone and dial in Reza's apartment number, and when he answers I explain the invite.

"Okay," he sighs. "But I don't want you trying anything with Finn."

"For the last time, Reza..." But I can't hold back my smile. "I'll be back by 9:30, okay?"

After dinner, Finn and I decide to go back to my apartment and talk for a little while. He settles onto the couch and slips off his suit jacket. I look over at him.

"Sorry," he says. "Am I making myself too comfortable?"

"No," I smile. "No. Please, what's mine is yours."

"Thanks," he loosens his tie and throws it on the couch beside him, undoing the first few buttons on his dress shirt.

I go over and sit by him, and suddenly it's like we're both back in Amity. So close, so comfortable, and it seems like the four weeks have sped by. "Finn," I say in a voice that was way too seductive for my intentions. "Do you…do you still…_love me?"_

He looks at me with a shocked expression. "I…" he stutters. "Alright, we're in private, I can cut the Candor act. Yeah, I still love you, but it's a lot harder to admit than you think. Especially when Reza could burst in at any moment."

Surprising even myself, I place my hand on his cheek. "No," I smile playfully. "He doesn't have the key." I slowly move my lips to his.

_BREANNA BOGGESS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! _Every bit of common sense tells me to stop, to tell Finn it's been great to see him but that I can never return his love and send him on his way, but for once something overpowers common sense.

He speeds up the pace and our lips crash together, and I inhale a sharp breath as his tongue darts across my lips. I open them to welcome him in, but still, Bree is fighting Breanna on this one. Breanna wants Finn back, she wants to go back to Amity and live with him forever, but Bree loves Reza and everything about him. Breanna is Amity, Bree is Dauntless, and together they; I am Divergent. Our tongues intertwine, and his hand rests on my waist. I reach up and entangle my fingers in his hair, messing it up and playing with it. He lets out a small moan. He pulls away from me.

"Breanna," he says, as he is out of breath. "I love you. There's gotta be some way things can work out. No one has to know, but we can be together."

"Finn," I say instead of answering his question. I press my lips back to his and straddle him, his hands on my hips. "Stay the night," I say.

He immediately pulls away, quickly regaining his composure. "Breanna, I can't do that. No. It's not what I believe in and if you want that…you're not the girl I know."

"No!" I say. "I don't want _that, _I just want to be with you. I just want for you to stay."

He kisses me again, gentler this time. "Alright," he says against my lips. "As long as no one finds out."

He carries me to bed, and I curl up in his arms.

"I love you," he whispers into my hair, and then I fall asleep.

That morning, somehow, I get Finn up and out by seven o'clock, so no one sees us. Reza comes knocking on my door at eight.

"Bree?" He asked, somewhat concerned.

"Coming!" I call, slipping on my shoes. I open my door and there he stands; bags under his eyes, and obviously sleep deprived. "What happened?" I ask. "You look awfully tired."

"I couldn't sleep last night, not without you there," he says, stepping in the door.

It then dawns on me Reza and I have been living together for two weeks and I never stay at my place unless I'm mad.

"I—I'm sorry," I stutter. "Last night, after dinner, Syd caught up with me and insisted we go shopping for some stuff for her to wear to her date with Max today. I was so tired I somehow forgot and ended up here, I'm so sorry."

He collapses into my arms like a tired little puppy. "Please," he says. "I need sleep."

I take him over and lay him on my couch. "Just rest," I say. "I've got to go to work. There's an important meeting today. I'll try and be home as soon as I can, alright?"

He nods and is out like a bulb. I turn off the lights and head for my office.

When I walk into the conference room, several of the Dauntless leaders are milling around and snacking on various finger foods. Isaac immediately spots me and walks over, his hair slicked back and a confident smirk stretched across his scruffy cheek.

"Come to your first meeting, I see," he says. "Little Breanna is growing up."

This has to be quite the event for him, considering he missed most of my 'growing up.' He straightens his black button-up dress shirt and takes a note from his breast pocket. He slips it into the pocket in my blazer, when I go to reach for it, he blocks my hand.

"Not here," he whispers, "not now."

I nod and say nothing, but at the back of my head the need to know why I shouldn't read it here paws at me.

"Alright, everyone," the same man with the short hair that pulled me from the net the first day of initiation claps his hands. "Let us begin."

Everyone takes their seats and Isaac pulls my chair out for me, which is beside his.

The man begins with formalities, and Isaac leans over to me. "His name is Rafe," he says, nodding toward the fifty-something man, which is pretty old for a Dauntless.

"As most of you know, we do have a problem arising in the Dauntless compound, but for those of you who don't, I'll explain. When a child takes the aptitude test, they are expected to get one faction as a result. _Only _one faction. On occasion, they will have inconclusive test results and are suited for more than one faction."

With each word, I feel my stomach turn more and more and my throat constrict.

"Those who have inconclusive results are what we call Divergent, and recently, we have had an influx of these Divergent, which pose as a major threat to the Dauntless society."

_No. NO. _

"They can use their abnormal brains to bend simulations to their will, which gives them an unfair advantage. We fear they are even more dangerous than we think. That is why I propose we begin a secret genocide of the Divergent, for the safety of our faction."

**Please, **_**please, PLEASE **_**review! I need feedback because I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, and your input is important!**


	11. Chapter 11

The next day was when it began.

The slaughter, so to speak.

Not in a big way at first, just people being called down to 'simulation' rooms one by one to undergo 'medical research' and to be tested.

Most of them never came back. In fact, the only way someone did was if they were proven non-Divergent, and it was a rare thing for the records of Divergence to be wrong.

"They had died, due to complications with the tests," Rafe told people. Valor told people. I told people.

It was hard, but the Dauntless aren't ones to question, and while sadness surely filled up inside of them, showing it would constitute as cowardliness. It shouldn't have been that way, people should be allowed to grieve, but it wasn't, to them.

Everyday, when a name was called, I would tense up until I was sure it wasn't mine or someone that I cared for.

But with each day, the tests became more frequent.

"So, what's with all these tests that've been going on lately?"

"I told you, can't say."

"Just a hint?"

"No."

"Bree?"

"Reza. No."

He sets the large bag down on the table. "At least tell me if I'll be tested," his eyes search mine, looking for the answer within them.

"I can't, I don't know," I look away from him and tuck a shirt into my drawer. "They didn't tell me much; they never do."

He walks over to me, brushing my cheek with his long fingers.

"You know more than you're letting on," he says in a deep, warm voice, enticing me to go on.

"I do not," I say, pushing his hand away and walking into the kitchen. I pour him a shot glass of whiskey, hoping to change the subject. He sits down across the bar from me and I slide him the drink. "When are we going to settle down?" He asks, absentmindedly digging under his fingernails.

"What?" I ask with a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry, we've got plenty of time," I try to brush the question off, but the thing is I don't know how much time I have left and I don't want to leave behind a widow when they kill me. I lean across the bar and kiss him.

He pulls back from me. "I want a solid answer," he says, our faces inches apart.

"I don't know, I've never thought about it!" My voice raises in a way I didn't intend to.

"Don't bash me down yet!" He says defensively. "I mean…God, Bree, I don't know. I want to marry you…"

"But I can't," I whisper.

"What?" He asks, his eyes flying up to meet mine, but I turn away from his gaze because I don't think I can handle it right now.

"Never mind," I stand up and try to distract myself with other things.

"No," he says, following me. "I'm tired of secrets, Breanna! I know that with your job you can't tell me everything, but can't you at least explain why you can't marry me?!" His voice gets shrill as it usually does when he's upset.

"I wish I could," I whisper again, looking up at him, "but I can't."

The look on his face is a cocktail of emotions, so much so I can't pick out how he feels.

He says nothing. Silence is dangerous.

I sit alone. Partially because of my disposition after the argument with Reza. I'm sure that bags hang heavily under my eyes, although I slopped on a ton of black eyeliner to define them. My hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail on the top of my head, and I wear black from head to toe.

I take a sip of my coffee.

I'm Dauntless. I don't need anyone, even if my insides scream for company.

Only I'm not Dauntless. I'm not Amity or Abnegation or anything that falls into a faction.

I'm Divergent.

And they will kill me for it.

I twirl the white handle of the coffee mug around in circles, sending ripples through the black liquid.

Black coffee, black clothing, black hair.

I miss color.

As an answer to my silent, cry, Kieran walks over and his eyes flash blue, topped by that mop of dirty blonde hair.

Usually, his smile is spread wide across his face, the corners of his mouth stretched as wide as they can go, but this morning his face is set in stone.

"Hey," he says solemnly.

"Hi," I say, staring intently at my stupid cup of coffee.

He sits down across from me, the collar of his v-neck dipping just low enough to make his collarbone visible, and how it moves up and down slightly as he breathes.

"Hey," he says, taking the coffee and downing a huge gulp of it.

"Hi," I say a little agitatedly, literally repeating our conversation of five seconds ago.

"What's wrong?" He asks, taking a piece of hair that somehow fell loose and braiding it in tiny, messy strands.

I shake my head. "Nah," I say, as it's all I can get out without sobbing. I close my eyes and grip the handle of the mug. "Nothing," I whisper.

"You look like you're…in pain," he says, his eyebrows furrowing with concern.

"Just…exercising yesterday. Hard. Brutal. I went further than my regular plan. My legs-" I pretend to be cut of with a gasp and rub away the non-existent pain in my thigh.

"Want me to run and get you some pain meds?" He asks with a look of genuine concern.

"No," I shake my head. "Just walk me back to my apartment, please?" I say, standing up.

He nods and pushes his chair in, which grits against the floors.

The noise is loud, and echoes through the dining hall.

But not loud enough to cover up the sound of my name being called over the intercom.

I walk alone. I don't want Kieran to have to walk me to my death.

I set my jaw and my shoulders back firm, and push open the door in the hallway I was assigned to go to. In it, Rafe, Snake and Raven (the other Dauntless leaders,) stand with grim faces, making what sounds like small talk. Isaac sits in a chair, his gaze distant. As soon as I walk in, they all look over at me.

Isaac's gaze immediately catches on mine, filled with an almost apologetic look. I send him a questioning glance, but he turns away from me.

"Ah, Bree," Rafe says as he walks over to me, his disposition awfully cheery for what's about to happen. He puts his arm around my shoulders. "Sit down," he says warmly, and ushers to an iron chair and table. He turns away from me for a second. "Raven, Snake, leave us," he says, his tone now more grave.

Snake stands up first. He is tall, skinny and menacing, pierced and tattooed from head to toe. Jet black hair falls into his face and he pushes it away. He must be older than Isaac, but his looks make him appear ageless, just mutilated and without time.

Raven stands up next. She's tall and muscular, and must be into her 40's. She's very quiet for a Dauntless leader, and the hair that gives her her name is chopped off at her jaw line. Her eyes are so dark brown they appear black, and she's so plain she fades into all the other onyx-clad Dauntless members; there's nothing remarkable about her. In fact, I wonder how she became a leader in the first place. She walks over and whispers something in Rafe's ear, and he nods.

"Right, check on that," he says. Their eyes linger on one another before she leaves and, as far as I can tell, they have a 'thing' for each other, although neither of them have ever been married.

I shift uncomfortably in my seat, and Raven casts me a shrewd glance as she leaves. The door clicks behind her.

"Well," Rafe says, his voice a little less comforting. "I'm sure you know why we're here."

I swallow the lump in my throat. _Yeah, to kill me,_ I think.

"Good, I'm glad Valor informed you," Rafe smiles in a less-than-comforting way.

I glance over at my brother as he walks toward me holding a needle.

_Valor, don't do this,_ I think. I look at him pleadingly, but he presses his lips into a firm line.

_Isaac._

"Hold still," he says softly, bringing back memories of him bandaging my wounds back in Amity, when he was peaceful and caring. He presses the needle into my skin, and I fight the urge to scream.

_Take your death with honor, Bree._

For about half an hour, Valor continues to swirl and carve into my neck with the needle. I still can't see what he's doing, but it hurts like nothing I've ever felt.

Finally, he finishes, and surprisingly, Rafe holds up a mirror for me to look in.

There's nothing there, and I'm still breathing.

"What-?" I ask, stroking the skin the needle had just torn.

Rafe holds up a cylindrical lamp that glows luminescent white light. Black flames dance on my neck in the mirror, blazing like real fire, but are contained in a black ring, like a living, _moving Dauntless symbol._

_I am dumbfounded and just stare at the flames in the mirror._

_Rafe turns off the lamp and sets it down. "It's a special tattoo," he says, helping Isaac put the tattoo equipment back under the iron table. "A living one, to be exact. Quite intricate and hard to do, but Valor is talented," he pats my brother on the shoulder. "It marks you as an important member of the Dauntless community, and ensures your safety in the Divergent executions."_

_I'm Divergent._

_But they don't know that._

_And I am safe._


	12. Chapter 12

I climb into bed after the tattoo, exhausted. The apartment is dark and I don't change into pajamas.

I nuzzle up against Reza, kissing him wearily.

"Hey, Bree," he says against my lips.

I inhale. "Hey," I say, almost drifting off.

Wait.

That is _not_ Reza's cologne.

"KIERAN!" I scream, jumping out of bed.

"What?" He laughs casually, rubbing his eyes and turning on a lamp.

"What are you doing _in my bed?!" _I shriek.

"I came back to wait for you and got tired, that's what," he rolls over.

"And you let me just _kiss_ you?!" I rub my forehead. "Oh, if Reza finds out….you have to go home!"

He stands up and walks over to me, the grey t-shirt dipping down to his collar bone, and tight enough that his defined muscles stand through. He presses a hand to my cheek. Slowly, his lips move toward mine, and they brush against each other lightly.

"What are you doing?!" I whisper.

"You didn't pull away," he says.

This time he kisses me. Not a brush, not a peck, a kiss. This has gone too far.

First Finn, now Kieran. No.

I bite my lip and look into his eyes.

_WHAT AM I DOING?_

My fingers catch on the collar of his shirt and one of his hands rests on my waist, the other at the back of my neck. I lace my fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

He kisses me again.

_I am dreaming. I am freaking dreaming._

His lips are soft and warm, in fact his whole being is warm. He is so sunshine-y and soft and wonderful.

"I love you," he says against my lips.

"I know," I say back.

The morning is full of awkwardness.

When I catch Kieran's eyes.

And when I don't.

I head down to the training room, which really isn't supposed to be used except for, well, training; but when's you're a leader no one gives a damn what you do.

I take several knives from Reza's apartment. They're more sophisticated than mine, and he's on guard duty, so it's not like he'll miss them.

I take them and unleash my emotions on to the targets thirty feet away from me. Each knife hit's the target with a BANG that echoes through the hall and resonates in my chest.

"I should've known I could find you here," a voice says after opening the door.

"Yeah," I say, letting out a deep breath as I throw the next knife, "why do you say that?"

"Because," Kieran steps over to me. "It's not that hard to anticipate what you're going to do."

"Am I that see through?" I ask, going to retrieve my knives.

"No," he says as I walk back to where I was throwing from. He puts his faces inches from mine. "I just know how to read you." He takes a knife from my hand while looking into my eyes, and for some reason, again, I don't object.

I k now this isn't the Kieran I knew in Amity. He's not the sweet, gentle boy I was acquainted with in my childhood.

But, then again, I'm not the soft Amity girl who wouldn't harm a fly.

_BANG_

He hit's the bull's-eye smack in the middle.

He looks over me again, grazing my cheek with his right hand while throwing another knife with his left. This time he sets the knives down and gives me his full attention. He takes my face in his hands and looks down at me. The humongous training room is quiet, the only sound being our breathing. He leans down to kiss me but I pull away, only slightly, which sets a fire ablaze in his eyes. He holds my head in place and gently begins to kiss my neck. I can't do anything, even if I wanted to, but I know that if I really didn't want this, Kieran would know that, and he would stop.

He knows I want it, yet I don't know that I want it.

He gently kisses up neck and to my cheek, ending with a peck on my lips. He kisses me again on the lips, this kiss filled with more passion than anything I've ever felt before. Not even with Reza or Finn. It's close-mouthed, plain and simple, but somehow it seems like there's nothing but Kieran and I, and there never has been. He moves his mouth against mine, a rhythm growing between us. Energy pulses through our bodies, and as soon as the kiss started, it's over.

He looks at me again.

That was the last time he touched me for months.

*TWO WEEKS LATER*

"WELL DAMNIT, BREANNA, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT ME TO DO!"

"I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE CARE FOR ONCE?!"

"CARE ABOUT WHAT?!"

"THE FACT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO _**KILL **_ME, MAYBE."

The rooms grows silent. Reza looks at me with intensity.

"_What?" _He asks in a confused whisper, still half angry.

"Oh, forget it!" I scream, glaring at him with tear-filled eyes. "I'm just Divergent, that's all, and they're only trying to KILL US ALL OFF."

"Kill you all off?!" This time his voice is a whisper. He walks close to me, taking my hands in his and looking down on me.

Tears burn in the backs of my eyes, and sobs fill my throat, but I keep them all inside. I nod. "It doesn't matter," I whisper. "I'll be dead once they find out-" the words catch in my throat and I can't say anymore. I just look down at the ground and try to ignore the feeling of Reza's eyes on me.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asks softly.

"I couldn't. I wasn't supposed to- you can't know, they'll kill you if they know you know." I stutter a little.

"Bree, we can save you…" he starts.

"They'll know I'm gone, they'll kill everyone I care about. I can't just disappear. They don't think I'm Divergent, though, they gave me this special tattoo, and…"

He cuts me off with a gently "shh" and strokes my hair.

"Just so many people I care about are Divergent," I say, my voice barely audible. "Max, Tom, Finn, and I don't know who all else."

"Shh," he says again. "We can save them," he says in a gentle tone. "We will."

"How?" I look up at him with watery eyes.

The dining hall is quiet for a Friday afternoon.

"What's the matter with you? You've been awful quiet lately," Sydney says as she picks a French fry out of the basket and smothers it in ketchup.

"Not here," I say.

Max looks at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"I think there's something you should tell us," he says with a concerned look on his face.

"I know," I say as I swirl a fry in ketchup. "I will, but not here."

"Then where?" Max asks as he dots his mouth with a napkin and wraps an arm around Sydney.

"Come on," I push my chair in and place my tray on the conveyor belt by the wall that will take it back to the kitchen to be cleaned. As soon as I'm sure they're following me, I head down the hallway to one of the back entrances not many people know about. The walls are carved out of stone and the lighting sparse and dark so that I hear Max and Syd shuffling around behind me.

"Keep up," I say darkly.

There is no doubt in my mind now that I can't start some sort of revolution. Not a big one, never anything to bring attention to my name or to definitely get me killed, but I am going to save my friends. It will take time and work, but their lives are worth the effort.

"Bree," Max says cautiously behind me. "You've taken us far and it's getting way too dark to even tell where we're going. We're turning back."

"And you're the Dauntless instructor?" I mock, slamming the door open with my hip and letting the sunshine flood the dark halls.

Both he and Syd raise their arms to block the light from their eyes. I step outside with a smile and soon they follow me onto the pavement.

"Why'd we take the back way?" Max asks.

"It's quicker," I say as I start to walk down the city street, towards the abandoned part of town. From here, you can still hear the hustle and bustle of the far away city, but hardy anyone but an occasional factionless comes this way. We should be safe here, but there's no way I'm taking that chance. I lead them about another half mile until we reach a back alleyway that hasn't been walked down in years.

"Bree," Syd says.

"Shh," I press a finger to my lips and quiet her, pushing open the door to the deserted building to my left. Inside, it is completely empty and all the windows are broken. The floors are worn cement, and the ceilings are low and have fallen through in some places. There are no walls, at least not on this floor,

"This isn't safe," Max's voice echoes through the empty floor.

"Neither is the Pit," I say as I lower myself onto the ground and sit cross legged.

"Alright, smart ass," he retorts, sitting down beside Syd. "This is a different kind of dangerous. Why the hell did you drag us all the way out here? For a cup of tea?"

"To save your life," I say with a stone face. "Now, if you'd rather go home, that's fine. But right now, I'm planning a bit of a rebellion against our government, and I can't discuss _those _plans back home. But leave if you want. I'm safe from the slaughter and if you do go now your blood isn't on my hands. There's the door," I gesture to the side exit we came in from.

His face falls and he slumps over a bit. "What do I have to do?" He asks.

"Reza's cousin was kicked out of the factions a while ago, and made his way outside the fence," I say. "Wait, outside the fence?!" Syd exclaims. "That's….that's impossible, Bree! He's fooling you…there's no way…"

"Syd, he wouldn't lie about such a thing. It is possible, and we've at least got to take the chance. Even if it fails, we'll all die anyway." I play with a lose string on my boot.

"Wait," Max says. "What about Syd? She's not Divergent. If we go, and the plan fails, she'll die without reason. _I won't let that happen."_

"_Sadly," I say, avoiding his eyes, "anyone who is not Divergent will have to stay behind. There's just no room. I'm sorry, Max."_

_He clenches his jaw and swallows a lump in his throat. "Alright," he says, despite Sydney's desperate look. "I will go, for my own safety."_

"_Max…" Syd starts._

"_I'm sorry," he says, "I can't die. I'll be back, someday, I promise." They look into each other's eyes and Max hold Syd's chin the way Reza does mine. _

"_I'll give you two a moment," I say, stepping out the same door we entered from. Inhaling the smell of pollution and decay._

_I then I hear the click of a gun. _

"_Bree Boggess," a deep voice says._


End file.
